Stories about life on the homestead, spinning, knitting, gardening, caregiving and whatever else comes up.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Stuff you find in ditches

I have been taking care of the neighbor's dog for about a week. When the weather has allowed, Mom and I walked over to feed and water her.

When you're walking down the road with an elderly woman, you see things that you might not notice whizzing by in a car.

Like a stray stalk of corn. It either got planted by a bird, or the seed may have fallen off a passing planter or grain truck. It grew back to about a foot and a half tall, and even tassled.

I don't know what kind of flower it is, but there it was. This clump was probably 3 feet tall.

I don't know what this is either, but it is a burnt red color.

Wild asparagus. There is a lot of it growing in the ditch between our places. I wish I could find it in the spring, but I can only tell where the plant is when it turns into this wild tangled mess of feathery fronds.

All of these plants survived getting cut down at least once, and possibly twice. Yet they all grew back, and strong enough to flower or tassel. I admire the tenacity.

Nice pictures. I will ask my friend about the burnt red grass. She is a grass geek and knows all the different types. I'll let you know! The flower looks like wild sunflower...but I am usually wrong...

"It is a tragedy of the first magnitude that millions have ceased to use their hands...this great gift...It is highly likely that a time will come when we shall be so incapacitated and weak that we shall begin to curse ourselves for having forgotten the use of the living machines given to us by God."

Mahatma Gandhi

Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart. (Unknown)